Computing systems and associated networks have greatly revolutionized our world. Computing systems are now available in a wide variety of forms and include a wide variety of input options. Such form factors including mobile devices that can be easily carried, and that include significant processing and storage capability. For instance, smart phones include the functionality of a phone, but also are themselves computing systems that can run many other applications.
In any case, whether the computing system is a small device or is large, many computing systems now incorporate touchscreens. Touchscreens not only display content to a user, but also allow a user to provide input by physically interacting with the touchscreen. One type of interaction involves tapping the screen briefly. Such interaction is commonly used to select a displayed object. A user might tap the screen with a finger, fingernail, pen, stylus, and so forth.
Such tapping can transmit acoustic waves through the device itself and/or through the ambient environment to a microphone that is integrated on the same device as the touchscreen. The tapping gesture can thus result in tapping noise (i.e., acoustic signals caused by the tapping) entering into an audio stream generated by the microphone. Such tapping noise can perhaps even be louder than normal conversation, and can be heard by a listener of the audio stream. For instance, participants in a telephone conversation or conference can often hear the tapping noise in the audio stream.
There are a number of conventional mechanical solutions to reduce this tapping noise. These solutions dampen the tapping noise by increasing the acoustic isolation of the microphone and the touchscreen. For instance, the microphone may be supported within the device via a rubber gasket, or may be suspended within the device using strings or wires. Alternatively, the microphone may be simply placed further from the touchscreen. These mechanical solutions have been shown to result in significant attenuation of the acoustic signals as transmitted through the device itself.
There does exist some software solutions that are aimed at noise suppression in general. Such software solution attenuate many types of background noise, but are not aimed specifically at reducing tapping noise. Thus, though there is some suppression of tapping noise, the tapping noise definitively still exists in significant volumes.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.